11 dead as huge storms batter Europe

BERLIN - Eleven people including two firefighters were killed on Thursday as violent gales battered northern Europe, snapping air and train links.

Germany halted all long-distance rail traffic for at least a day, while numerous domestic flights were scrapped as hurricane-force winds lashed the country.

The storm claimed eight lives in Germany, including two firefighters deployed in emergency operations and two truck drivers whose vehicles were blown over.

Another driver died when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a truck.

A 59-year-old camper was killed instantly when a tree fell on him in North Rhine-Westphalia state, police said, as wind speeds reached a high of 203 kilometers per hour at Brocken - the highest peak of northern Germany.

The storm, named Friederike, also ripped the roof off a school in the eastern state of Thuringia while children were still in the building. Authorities said no one was hurt.

It is the worst storm to strike Germany since 2007. Insurers estimated on Friday that ferocious gales caused$614 million in damages.

In the Netherlands, which bore the brunt of the storms earlier on Thursday, two people were crushed by falling trees as winds barreled off the North Sea to hit the low-lying country with full force.

As the National Weather Service raised its warning to the highest level, red, a 62-year-old man was killed in Olst by a falling branch when he got out of his truck to remove debris blocking the road.

A second Dutchman, also 62, was killed in eastern Enschede when a tree toppled onto his car.

In neighboring Belgium, a woman reportedly died when her car was crushed by a tree as she was traveling through a wood in the Grez-Doiceau area, about 35 kilometers south of Brussels.

Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, one of the continent's busiest travel hubs, was forced to briefly cancel all flights as winds gusted up to 140 km/h in some areas.

Flights later resumed but all passengers were being advised to check their flight status, the airport said in a tweet, adding"up until now, 320 flights have been canceled".

The airport also had to close the entrances to two of its three departure halls when some roof tiles were whipped off the terminal building.

The traffic chaos also plagued the roads, with the Dutch national traffic office reporting 66 trucks had been blown over by the high winds causing huge traffic jams on the motorways, the highest recorded number since 1990.

The Dutch NS national train service warned of further disruption on Friday.

The hashtag #StormPoolen(or storm carpool) began trending with people searching for rides between cities, and some drivers offering spare seats in their cars.

"My boyfriend is trying to get from Leiden Central to Delft. He's very nice and there's a bottle of wine in it for whoever can return him unharmed. #StormPoolen," wrote one Twitter user.

AFP-AP